This invention relates generally to improvements in devices and methods for cutting food products such as vegetable products, and particularly such as potatoes, into lattice cut slices. More particularly, this invention relates to a relatively simple yet highly effective modification of a slicing machine of a type having a rotary impeller for carrying the food products into cutting engagement with lattice cut slicing knives, wherein the improvement comprises a plug prevention device for preventing the food products from lodging within and plugging an inlet throat of the rotary impeller.
Potato slices having a lattice or waffle cut geometry represent a popular food product. Such potato slices are characterized by corrugated cut patterns on opposite sides of each slice, wherein the opposing cut patterns are angularly oriented relative to each other such as at approximate right angles. The troughs or valleys of the opposing corrugated cut patterns are desirably sufficiently deep to partially intersect one another, resulting in a potato slice having a generally rectangular grid configuration with a repeating pattern of small openings formed therethrough. Relatively thin lattice cut slices of this type are commonly processed to form lattice cut potato chips. Thicker lattice cut slices are typically processed by parfrying and/or finish frying to form lattice or waffle cut French fry slices.
Slicing machines have been developed for production cutting of potatoes and other food products into lattice cut slices of the type described above. One such lattice cut slicing machine is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,139,130, which is incorporated by reference herein. This lattice cut slicing machine comprises an upwardly open housing having a rotary impeller mounted therein for receiving and guiding products such as potatoes into cutting engagement with a plurality of lattice cut slicing knives mounted on a peripheral knife frame. More particularly, the products are fed by suitable conveyor or supply means to fall downwardly into an upwardly open inlet throat of the rotary impeller, which in turn throws the products radially outwardly by centrifugal force into a plurality of radially open guide tubes. These guide tubes support the products as the impeller rotates to carry the products into cutting engagement with the lattice cut slicing knives. In addition, these guide tubes rotate the products through approximately 90°, relative to a radial guide tube axis, between engagement with successive slicing knives, so that the cut patterns formed on opposite sides of each slice are oriented at about right angles to each other. In a production environment, such slicing machine is capable of handling a relatively large mass through-put of products, and typically operates with an impeller speed on the order of about 400 rpm.
One problem encountered with lattice cut slicing machines of this type is that the products fed into the rotary impeller can lodge or hang up within the impeller throat, to plug the machine and prevent product flow-through for lattice cut slicing. This problem occurs most commonly when one or more of the incoming products such as potatoes engages and lodges by centrifugal action against an interior wall surface of the spinning impeller throat. When this occurs, product through-put for cutting is interrupted, and subsequent incoming products will collect and jam at an upstream side of the impeller throat. To resolve this problem, it has been necessary to shut down the slicing machine while the products lodged at and upstream from the impeller throat are manually removed.
There exists, therefore, a need for an improved lattice cut slicing machine, particularly with respect to preventing incoming products such as potatoes from lodging within and plugging the open throat of the rotary impeller. The present invention fulfills this need and provides further related advantages.